This Day in History:, Challenger Disaster.<br />January 28, 1986.<br />73 seconds after its 11:38 a.m. launch, <br />NASA's space shuttle exploded, <br />killing all seven crew members.<br />Among the crew was Christa McAuliffe, <br />a 37-year-old high school social <br />studies teacher from New Hampshire.<br />McAuliffe had won a <br />competition that earned <br />her a place on the Challenger.<br />Millions witnessed <br />the tragedy on live television.<br />In the aftermath, President Ronald Reagan <br />appointed a special commission to <br />determine what went wrong with Challenger.<br />The investigation determined <br />the disaster was caused by <br />the failure of an “O-ring” seal <br />due to cold weather.<br />It would be two <br />years before NASA sent <br />astronauts into space again
